Men's Basketball | 12/30/2016 10:55:00 AM

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Sun Belt Conference plays begins for the Texas State men's basketball on Saturday in Strahan Coliseum at 4:30 p.m. against Appalachian State.
 
The Bobcats enter the game with a 7-5 record on the season while the Mountaineers are 5-6.
 
Last Time Out
Texas State ended its non-conference slate with a thrilling 69-66 overtime victory at Tulane that saw Bobby Conley hits the game-winning three-pointer with a little over 38 seconds left on the clock. The senior guard finished the game with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and was 3-for-4 on three-point attempts.
 
Kavin Gilder-Tilbury was on fire over the final eight minutes of regulation and overtime as he netted 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, was 3-for-4 from beyond the arc and converted 4-of-5 free throw attempts. For the game, Gilder-Tilbury finished with 23 points and five rebounds. The senior enters SBC action just two points away of becoming the 21st Bobcat ever to score 1,000 career points.
 
Freshman Nijal Pearson continues to impress as he recorded his ninth double-digit scoring game with 11 points in New Orleans. He also grabbed a team-high six rebounds and handed out two assists.
 
Texas State posted its fourth consecutive game of shooting 70 percent or higher at the free throw line with a 10-for-14 performance (71.4%).
 
Scouting Appalachian State
Appalachian State enters conference action having won two straight and three of its last four games. The Mountaineers ended their non-conference schedule with home wins over Hampton and James Madison. In road games, APP is 1-5 with the lone win being over Hartford. The five loses have been to Charlotte, Davidson, Duke, North Carolina State and Tennessee.
 
Ronshad Shabazz is the lone player on the team averaging double-digits in points at 15.8 per game. He has made 40.0 percent of his shots and 34.4 percent on three-point attempts. His 22 made three-pointers are the second most on the team.
 
Both Patrick Good and Griffen Kinney enter averaging 8.3 points per game. Kinney has started all 11 games and is grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game. Good has come off the bench in every contest, has seen 23 of his 30 made field goals be three-pointers and is shooting 46.9 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Leading the team with 2.6 assists per game is Emarius Logan. He also contributes 7.0 ppg with a 43.8 three-point percentage and has converted 88.2 percent of his charity stripe shots. Isaac Johnson paces APP with 5.5 rpg despite coming off the bench in every game.
 
As a team, the Mountaineers are averaging 80.1 ppg and are outscoring opponents by 6.1 per contest. They have made 43.5 percent from the field, 37.5 percent of their three-point attempts and have nailed 70.3 percent at the free throw line. APP enters conference play with a +1.4 turnover margin, 6.6 steals per game and 3.5 blocks per game.
 
All-Time Series
Appalachian State leads the all-time series with Texas State 3-2. Last season saw the teams split the season series with the Mountaineers winning 76-56 in Boone, North Carolina and the Bobcats holding on for a 69-68 win in Strahan Coliseum. Last year's victory was the first for Texas State since both programs have been members of the SBC.
 
Live stats, video and audio will be available for the game. Bill Culhane will call the game on 1300 The Zone (1300 AM) or 103.1 FM out of Austin and on KTSW 89.9 FM out of San Marcos.
 
For the latest on Texas State men's basketball, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, follow the team on Twitter at @TxStateMBB, Instagram at @TxStateMBB and like on Facebook at /TexasStateMensBasketball.